It’s the hottest day of the year in Manchester, but Idehen is an ice cold picture of unbothered cool. It’s the tail end of a balmy day in Manchester: the sun has dipped behind glass skyscrapers and old school boozers alike, cool air snakes around the streets as the breeze…
This show from Gaol Bird is expertly pulled together and executed with immense quality: a fiery prospect with massive potential, regardless of who they may have been before. Mother Mary’s is a tight room. The stairs down from the bar lead to a small stage under a low ceiling, littered…
Divorce are gearing up to release debut LP Drive to Goldenhammer following two stellar EPs, critical acclaim, huge support slots with major artists and a distinct gear shift from the Nottingham quartet. Felix Mackenzie-Barrow and Tiger Cohen-Towell are separate rectangles in the Zoom window. We find Tiger on the sofa…
Fat Dog are a band on a seemingly never-ending rise. Huge singles, a deal with Domino Records and a stellar debut record. This weekend, the Fat Dog chaos descended on Manchester, with support in the shape of London risers, RIP Magic. RIP Magic are borne of a collaboration between Sorry’s…
Fusing elements of hip hop and American punk in a kind of new wave-nu metal, to the adoration of their scores of fans. It’s the most romantic night of the year – Cage The Elephant are in town and bring the New York noise to a loved-up Manchester. First up…
Softer numbers. Cacophonous frenzies. Industrial breakdowns. Soaring choruses. It seems like there is very little that this band can’t do. There is a buzz about Manchester this evening: it feels like the worst of winter has been overcome – the sky is burning a brilliant orange over the place and…
Hamish Hawk is on the rise again following 2021’s stellar debut LP, Heavy Elevator, and a huge follow-up in 2023’s Angel Numbers. August 2024 saw the Edinburgh artist return with his not-so-difficult third record, A Firmer Hand. “It’s funny, the word literary tends to follow me around… As do words…
Sweat beads hang on foreheads and walls, strangers slam into each other with abandon, the guitars wail and ears ring. It’s perfect, really. Night and Day Cafe, Independent Venue Week, Opus Kink. It’s a recipe for success and mosh pits as Opus Kink brings the noise to one of Manchester’s…
Avant, dark, brutally established in it’s politics and triumphant in all the right places. Jojo Orme, aka Heartworms, is on the cusp of something huge. After making a splash with debut EP, A Comforting Notion, Heartworms’ long awaited debut LP is finally here. Combining a brooding love of poetry, gothic…
Wrought emotion conveyed through instrumentals in a way that no other band can touch. Mogwai are back. 2025 sees the Scottish noise outfit celebrate thirty years as a creative force and The Bad Fire is a boisterous celebration of the group. The record is a follow-up to Mogwai’s first-ever chart-topper,…